Wow!

I am just watching the opening ceremony for the Paralympics and the performances being given are just blowing me away!

The first one that really caught my eye was a performance of 300 deaf women all dressed in white with lights set in their large skirts and the dance was very pretty indeed. It looked to me as though the performance was meant to look like an eye - all the dancers surrounded a lone trumpeter and kept moving in and out - I simply cannot do it justice in my description, but it was lovely.

The next section of the ceremony was very moving. Dancer were kneeling down dressed in black with ballet shoes on their hands and they were using their hands and arms to simulate legs and they looked pretty effective! These dancers formed a circle and in the middle was a young aspiring ballet dancer who had lost a leg in the earthquakes of China a few months ago. She was sitting in a wheelchair on dressed up in a pretty tutu and fabulous red slipper on her foot and was using her arms to give a beautiful performance, all to Ravel's Bolero - fabulous.

At this very moment there is a rather energetic performance being given by two thousand school children, they are wearing a rather bizarre costume, but I gather that this is called Cartoon Dance or something like that! And now there is some singing in Mandarin (I presume!) and I cannot understand a word, but that's ok, especially as they follow it with some English words!! Whatever the language though, the singing is lovely and they are thanking the light and the wind - it's all very atmospheric and superb - the Chinese certainly know how to put on a display! (and they haven't even finished yet!)

Well, the Bird's Nest in Beijing has seen a stunning ceremony this afternoon (or evening if you are actually IN Beijing!) and it is a brilliant start to the Paralympics - Lets Go and Get Some Medals!!!